Not only did Trump say he wasn't opposed to a database for Muslims, he also retweeted a blatantly false, racist infographic about crime statistics that seems to imply that black-on-black crime is the only real killer of black people in this country. The numbers are patently, blatantly falsified.

This all seems so familiar... Billionaire who is obviously not cut out for the job, running for President - I seem to remember a Superman animated bit where Lex Luthor was conducting a presidential campaign. As much as he hated it, Superman had to treat him like any other candidate. Then, just as he was about to be sworn in, Lex resigns. His sole purposes in running was to piss off Superman. His reason for resigning the office of President?

This all seems so familiar... Billionaire who is obviously not cut out for the job, running for President - I seem to remember a Superman animated bit where Lex Luthor was conducting a presidential campaign. As much as he hated it, Superman had to treat him like any other candidate. Then, just as he was about to be sworn in, Lex resigns. His sole purposes in running was to piss off Superman. His reason for resigning the office of President?

'I didn't want to have to give up all that power.'

Of course the lead villain doesn't want to reign under a system based on separation of powers.

That sounds brilliant, Oniya. I suppose it was by some independent guy or cartoonist - surely not a 'canon' DC produced Superman clip?

Of course the lead villain doesn't want to reign under a system based on separation of powers.

That sounds brilliant, Oniya. I suppose it was by some independent guy or cartoonist - surely not a 'canon' DC produced Superman clip?

I'm not sure if it's the same scene as Oniya is talking about or if there has been a different version in another media property but the closest example I can think of is from Justice League Unlimited, which is a canon DC produced Superman clip (but set in the different universe to the "main" DC one)

That's the exact scene I was referring to! It's been a while since I saw it, so I'd forgotten Question was involved. (Ironically, the pop-up ad that showed was a poll asking 'Do you still support Donald Trump?' I have to say that I haven't stopped beating my wife either.)

Just a note - I'll be visiting my parents in VA tomorrow. There is a high likelihood of someone's head exploding if the Presidential races are brought up. (Mom liked Nixon back in the day, and had McCain stuff on the fridge last election.)

Trump isn't telling the truth....it's been proven that he's not telling the truth.....and he's still the GOP front runner. How is that even possible?

Let's put it this way: Trump is the frontrunner among some people who (a) bother about these things right now AND (b) answer polls about their current voting preference. The point of the GOP primaries doesn't seem to be figuring out which of the candidates will gain the most votes in a general election - it's about winning the primaries. That's quite a different exercise.

Looking at it another way: From the polls I have seen, a whole lot of people expressing a preference for one candidate or another are still undecided. Trump seems to have the largest stable supporter base (with maybe 50% who say they'd vote for him saying they have made up their mind). So if he runs at 30% that means that perhaps 15% of those polled are "real" Trump supporters right now.

That might look like a lot in the polls, but I am willing to bet some good money that a lot of GOP supporters don't really give a damn about the election - or the primaries - right now. Trump has a fairly consistent base of supporters at the moment, but if the GOP field weren't so large the whole picture would look different.

You'll always find some people who support the most outlandish ideas, no matter the facts. Right now they might come through very strongly for Trump, but drawing conclusions from that is kinda like judging the sanitiy of the average human based on twitter, or facebook "likes".

One of my local news stations played a quick interview with a Trump supporter. The newscaster asked if it bothered him that the facts don't always support what Trump says. The gentleman, with a completely straight face, shook his head and said, no, it did not bother him. That scares me. That scares me a lot. Cults of personality come to wield great power all too often. I hate to Godwin here, but I see some frightening similarities.

One of my local news stations played a quick interview with a Trump supporter. The newscaster asked if it bothered him that the facts don't always support what Trump says. The gentleman, with a completely straight face, shook his head and said, no, it did not bother him. That scares me. That scares me a lot. Cults of personality come to wield great power all too often. I hate to Godwin here, but I see some frightening similarities.

I'm not a political expert, but I think a great deal of Trump's enduring popularity comes from three things.

One: Celebrity status. Everyone knows who Donald Trump is - he's the guy from the Apprentice; he's the guy who says outrageous things all the time; he, he, he. And keep in mind, the Apprentice (or is celebrity-based variant) has been running, every season, on the air since 2004. That's twelve years of building Trump brand awareness via "You're fired." In contrast, most of the candidates still running for the Republican nomination have been onscreen only for...I'll be generous and say six years or less? Yeah, okay, people know who Ben Carson is, or who Marco Rubio is, or Ted Cruz - but did they know their names five years ago?

Two: Americans are gradually becoming less politically informed and generally less intelligent (I believe) about the practical matters of our world, but I think a majority of us know when we're being fed a line of BS. We know...but we just don't care. Take food stamps. People who depend on the SNAP program to put food on the table will tell the government to spend less on programs like SNAP at a frequency that can be disturbing. Why? Not because they don't understand that cutting SNAP will harm them - they do - but they don't care because 'get alla them lazy people off welfare!' They've been convinced to care more about something else rather than their own self-interest. Which is simultaneously good and bad. As a result, elections and campaigns are becoming less and less about fact and more about presentation.

Three: People are sick and tired of hearing politicians make the same old phony promises about what they're going to do when they're elected. The same phenomenon that is causing the Surge of Sanders is the same one that brings the Tide of Trump: people are seeing that they are not the usual Washington politicians, only interested in getting re-elected so they can enjoy their cushy offices and six-digit salaries and super-nice townhouses. For Sanders, he's the real deal; for Trump...he may not be able to accomplish any of the goals and things he's saying, but as I said previously, reality and fact don't matter anymore. Image, and what people believe, is...no fruit please, trumping all other considerations.

One last thing, about fact. People have been preached to about the facts of X or Y or Z...and then hear on the news two nights later that no, the facts of X or Y or Z are actually the opposite of what they heard originally. The fact that sometimes people say things that aren't based on fact, and are in reality quite wrong, is something we as a country have been desensitized to.

Trump isn't telling the truth....it's been proven that he's not telling the truth.....and he's still the GOP front runner. How is that even possible?

Trump doesn't back down from his increasingly asine statements and that is what his base wants. A candidate who won't back down from his positions. These are voters who are tired of electing representatives who promise one thing (removing obamacare) then going to Washington and compromising with the democrats. (Increasing the debt limit and voting on budget bills that don't defund obamacare).

He is a political outsider, he has no ties with the establishment and won't compromise his beliefs. This is why he has maintained a sizable lead in the polls even after saying things that would automatically sink another candidate, like saying John McCain isn't a hero or being sexist to Megyn Kelly.

He is the candidate they want, I believe they will vote for him.

On a side note, silly season is officially over. Polls released after Thanksgiving should be taken more seriously and are more likely to predict who will win.

One of my local news stations played a quick interview with a Trump supporter. The newscaster asked if it bothered him that the facts don't always support what Trump says. The gentleman, with a completely straight face, shook his head and said, no, it did not bother him. That scares me. That scares me a lot. Cults of personality come to wield great power all too often. I hate to Godwin here, but I see some frightening similarities.

Knowing how liberals and conservatives will vote, I will have to put my faith in moderates/independents/undecideds, and that they have enough intelligence to see through Trump's idiocracy-in-the-making, and vote for whoever the Democrats run.

The Associated Press asked climate scientists to evaluate the climate stances of 12 leading presidential candidates for their scientific accuracy. Results. Can't say I am all that surprised by the results.

My brother pointed out to me that Trump might actually be more electable than he's given credit. Simply put, once he's won the primary he'll be free to shift hard towards the center for the general election (like Hillary will be doing if she wins no doubt) and can take on a more moderate and reasonable persona than the bombastic personality that has thus far helped him stand out in an overcrowded Republican primary.

That the tone and style of candidates (especially the Republican ones) has to change after the primaries to win the actual presidential election is conventional wisdom. But I wouldn't count on it this time. Many of the GOP candidates fly in the face of conventional wisdom.

As for Trump, he strikes me as too much of a self-promoter, too much in love with the spotlight, to tone down his statements much, if any.

My brother pointed out to me that Trump might actually be more electable than he's given credit. Simply put, once he's won the primary he'll be free to shift hard towards the center for the general election (like Hillary will be doing if she wins no doubt) and can take on a more moderate and reasonable persona than the bombastic personality that has thus far helped him stand out in an overcrowded Republican primary.

This didn't work for Mitt Rommeny last election and he hadn't shifted nearly as far right as Trump has gone. Part of the problem is that candidates still have to appeal to their hard right base for donor money. That's how Rommeny's "45% percent of voters are not going to vote for me." comment came out.

I will be really surprised if Trump can or is willing to walk back his comments about Mexican Immigrants are rapist and how he plans to build a literal wall to keep them out.

Honestly, I don't think those guys get it. The people who like Trump hates the "establishment." And for good reason. Seriously, who are these so-called party "leaders"? Why should they get to decide who gets the nomination? The Republican Party should not a corporation owned and ran by a handful of billionaires hiding in the backrooms. People get to vote, you know. And votes should matter more than the machinations of a bunch of wealthy "establishment" power brokers.

Keep flailing away guys. The more you try to take down Trump, the stronger his base coalesces around him.